he could not dissolve parliament and he could not amend the constitution now from bush and the latest box from the bush point mr david cameron wants me to establish a no fly zone over libya has been rejected by many in the international community among the songs and they say it should be up to begins yourselves to determine the fate and the future is how we have in london was to go to hit and close the snowslide so it would essentially be getting itself to shooting down its cost that's over now there are coming to the british troops deployed in been trust me they are there with the humanitarian situation that they're on growing concerns and that used to take over chemical weapons stockpiles and this is because one state it is fearful that gadhafi might use the stockpiles against his own people will secure conservations on both egypt and america that to you is still to the suez canal there in the mediterranean sea not far from libya so there are concerns testable

american intervention in addition to a possible push when my colleague in london or in it looks at what foreign intervention would mean for libya and we do not in any way rule out the use of military assets we must not tolerate this regime using military force against its own people is this history repeating itself the british government getting the guns on standby as a country crumbles bowing to impose a no fly zone in this case libya in two thousand and three it was iraq it's looking very dangerous news looking quite possible that they will launch such an attack with or without un approval so we're looking at almost a repeat of what happened in iraq and indeed the results spoke to a largely the same but not every country is getting that treatment and libya is not the only african nation in turmoil somalia's drop out conflict has been called a slow genocide but there's little sign of. u.s.

or european military input and it's a similar story on the other side of the continent there are events unfolding right now in ivory coast where there is also conflict an armed conflict between rebels and the government but nobody seems to be thinking of that it's only because fashionable attention is focused on libya oil but also for the political implications of the middle east as a whole as we all know the west including my own country britain has got its hands very dirty with the libyan leadership over recent years. with black gold libya has the largest proven oil reserves in africa more than three percent of the global toso and there could be a lot more undiscovered the only reason they're interested in. your oil here anybody screaming and yelling about all those people last week they were killed in the ivory coast. i guess cocoa was that that you know of much of a national priority but in somalia there was precious little help while the body

count rose over the years except for one brief but disastrous intervention involving u.s. soldiers immortalized in the movie black hawk down american forces failed at great cost to stabilize the country they left quickly and haven't returned and the lessons were learned when it came to iraq which remains are the staple even now with only feeble sheets of that much vaunted democracy allied troops are equally bogged down in afghanistan with no convincing timeline for withdrawal and an ever rising death toll should be clear to an idiot that the mess that's been made in afghanistan the terrible disaster that was caused in iraq really shouldn't be voted on any more countries in the middle east it's a model today's troubled african nations were imposed on their puppet government which is still ruling by virtue of american military occupation of iraq really there is not the current of help. the middle east need and american and european

government shouldn't look the backing of either up to a million marched in london a for the invasion of iraq in two thousand and three and times have changed this is now austerity britain where starting another war wasn't factored into the budget british troops are already fighting an unpopular war in afghanistan it's highly unlikely the public has the appetite for again getting involved in someone else's struggle battling as they are at home in the face of deep cuts and rising unemployment and it's unlikely to be popular in sight this building the ministry of defense has to slash spending by more than seven and a half billion dollars in the next four years it's an intervention britain would find hard to afford on many levels you are at it see. crosswise not the us to discuss the possibility of foreign intervention in libya with mike ferner he's the national president of veterans for peace mike very good evening

from moscow well you were just unanimously passed a resolution isn't calling for a no fly zone over libya and it's moving its warships we hear even close to libyan shows so do you think this is the precursor then for military intervention in brackets the oil rich country well unfortunately it does look that way no fly zone is there's a lot more involved with that than just not having people fly their airplanes through it it's going to require military action in order to even institute the no fly zone so. sensually the the senate's vote could be seen as an act of war . all right now just looking back in history books if we recall back in two thousand and three libya then agreed to destroy all of its chemical nuclear and biological weapons after months of secret talks the time when u.s. and british officials now. however though the very same states won't those very

same stockpiles as the saying secure it does but as a quick beg the question how can you secure what's already apparently already been destroyed years ago are we witnessing is what i'm getting to echoes of iraq here well that unfortunately is not only echoes of iraq it's even more outrageous because. as you said if they've destroyed those stockpiles how are they supposed to secure him and it's the whole thing sounds way way too familiar there should be no u.s. military intervention no u.s. british military intervention there should be no nato intervened military intervention if the united nations determines that some sort of mission there is necessary then that's that's up to the security council but. we should not be we should even the u.s. should not even be making noises like well maybe they can because that's only going to make things worse ok but it seems to be as you say how many more military

campaigns can america actually afford. well it depends how much money china would like to loan us i guess. that's the only way that we're keeping a country afloat now so. it is just amazing to me that the this administration thinks that they might be able to. stampede the public into going militarily into another country. and i just hope that we're maybe thinking of the absolute worst here and which is not going to happen but i know our organization is urging people to get in touch with their representatives and let them know that we are in no way supportive of that you've got your into the grand way are you watching the news channels you speaking to your friends your family what do american taxpayers think about their country's current foreign policy in north africa or the middle east how is this going down there's the or fully human

cost if it all goes wrong but of course the financial cost as well isn't it sure sure and. you know i haven't heard. all the libya has been in the news obviously. at the top of the news the last several days. what i've been hearing from people here in the u.s. has more to do with tunisia in egypt and what they're saying is that they're tying the activity in the democratic uprisings in those countries to what's going on in a couple of our states in wisconsin and. other states now that where the governor is coming in and threatening to end public sector unions and so people are turning out. tens of thousands for those and i've heard a number of people compare what's going on among the labor unions and in this country with what happened in tunisia and egypt so you know i hope that's that's

more the majority sentiment. you know x. i don't know what it is all for the radio but it is all for the greater good isn't it spreading democracy across the world as will be washington's foreign policy priority how much longer though do you think it will succeed in convincing people to want to brawl that is intentions are completely hundred percent all noble thinking oil again well. i don't know how many people there are that even if the us government at this point said their intentions were hundred percent honorable i'm not sure how many buyers they'd have for that line and i know there is a huge skepticism among people in this country after the the ongoing tragedy in iraq and afghanistan that people are just not about to believe that again now you know it's it's because the public has been opposed to it doesn't necessarily

mean that the government's going to follow me we saw in in britain and the us prior to the invasion of iraq that there were literally millions of people who turned out the streets against that but their government our governments went to war anyway and as i heard from a fella from brazil that i was in touch with at the time he said well you know this isn't about war it's about democracy because if if there was a democracy the government would have to listen to this huge turnout of people so i guess all we can do at least veterans for peace feels is to try as best we can to keep the heat on we're going to be doing a nother demonstration in washed away washing saying what we hail you saying unfortunately the clock is against a fanatic a president veterans of pace told to us on skype from ohio thank you for being on the program think thank you very much. and still ahead for you to america's foreign

policy goes under the microscope more about than. any future defense secretary who advise the president to again send a big american land army into asia. or into the middle east or africa. should have his head examined and find out what else u.s. congressman had to say about the country's actions and why some accuse the government of double standards. about thirty minutes past midnight moscow time so international news in brief the u.s. air force has confirmed that two of its servicemen have been killed and two wounded in a shooting at frankfurt airport a government opened fire on a bus carrying with military personnel while it was parked outside the building following the shooting a twenty one year old suspect from kosovo was arrested by german police u.s. president barack obama said he was saddened and outraged by the attack and he promised the u.s. would spare quote no effort in investigating the shooting. pakistan's minister for

religious minorities has been killed in a gun attack in the country's capital islamabad police say alleged taliban government sprayed the victim's car with bullets in a residential neighborhood shahbaz bhatti who was a christian had been threatened by islamist militants in the past for speaking out against the country's harsh blasphemy laws the issues but under the spotlight indeed since november when a court sentenced a mother of four to death after her neighbors complained she insulted the prophet mohammed. as changes sweep through the middle east or north africa u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton has called for changes in u.s. foreign policy desperate to influence the emerging political map the future of american involvement abroad is at the top of the government's agenda christine takes a look at the changing face of washington's priorities. afghanistan iraq egypt. libya. when it comes to

u.s. foreign policy this country's hands are not just full they're often tied secretary of state hillary clinton charged with the task of laying out the plan for the future generations of americans including my own have grown up successful and safe because we chose to lead the world in tackling the greatest challenges but now clear signs that the challenges and the times are changing but a lot of people in this country have come to the conclusion that our policy overhaul has been inconsistent that sometimes we support the bad guys and the bad guys become our enemies. twenty eleven has been a major year with major shifts in prominence and power in northern africa and the middle east. and signs that us will influence may be waning just days before the regime of egyptian president hosni mubarak fell both secretary clinton and cia director leon panetta called it stable until it was.

there are also inconsistency is on the war in afghanistan in afghanistan integrated military and civilian surges have helped set the stage for our diplomatic surge to support afghan led reconciliation that could end the conflict and put al qaeda on the run but robert want kansas senior u.n. official just said quote it is fair to say that security in the country is at its lowest point since the departure of the taliban even secretary of defense robert gates said this just last week to a group of cadets at west point in my opinion any future's defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big american land army into asia. or into the middle east or africa should have his head examined as general macarthur so delicately put it there is also the matter of money u.s. own economy weak and losing leverage to other powers like china and brazil another

frustration voiced by lawmakers doesn't make any sense at all for us to be borrowing money from china and giving it to other countries especially giving it back to china. now when it comes to iran there is a clear position given by the state department the denial of human dignity in iran is an outrage that deserves the condemnation of all who speak out for freedom and justice but in many other regions like behind rain albania and most prominently iraq where many many more people are killed at the hands of u.s. allied governments the silence is deafening. and as the landscape changes daily in libya cracks in the foundation here grow deeper we must maintain firm ties with our allies and enemies must be clearly identified it is

a constantly changing position on good versus evil and increasingly diminishing power to influence what's next in washington christine for r.t. . doctors in russia are developing a pioneering alternative treatment of heart transplants with a shortage of organ donations in the country the technique is giving hope to thousands of people surgery waiting lists are going to boy has got the story. it's a smile that comes straight from the heart that almost died from heart failure two decades ago but these only visits a cardiology ward for regular check. look at her she's just a picture of health by now she's been living with a new heart longer than with her own. doctor diminished care which operate on the top twenty one years ago when a donor organ was her only hope for live one of the best known cardiac surgeons in russia he performed hundreds of lifesaving transplants but still thinks of the

thousands he couldn't do because of the shortage of donor organs nowadays he's pioneering and need to meet that gives some patients on the list waiting least a more definite hope. a heart transplant is not a panacea firstly the supply of donor organs is so short that you can only help a smattering of patients secondly it brings with it a number of complications starting with ethical dilemmas to biological functions that's why finding an alternative treatment that will allow to preserve a host organ is so crucial. the treatment brockport remodelling consists of seven surgeries that together reverse the damage to a broken heart russian doctor started performing it two years ago and its long term effectiveness is still being tested yet for some like this patient not to it already proved a real life changer. verde where was first diagnosed doctors told me i had

a year to leave now i have all the reasons to hope that i'll see my little daughter grow up i was told that i may still need a heart transplant in the future but the surgery pulls that day for years of. the just eighteen series carried out this procedure is far from being routine yet this successful recovery of all the patients has already given the many on the transplant waiting list a change of heart reconstruct. we have so many advantages that work for transplant patients don't have to change your and agonizing and probably garrincha. the chances of success for the company higher but like heart transplant this procedure has to be one major setback to get to school leaving school yet it is still disheartening to see which. are to most call. the last leader of the us has. been celebrating his eightieth birthday he's been awarded with russia's highest

honor by president dmitri medvedev the order of st andrew medal for his work as soviet leader for many people his name synonymous with the end of the cold war the reunification of germany and liberalism his economic and political reforms paved the way indeed for democracy in russia the best known of them was intended to revamp the country without destroying the bases of socialism is initiatives also sought to end state censorship and allow free speech gorbachev received the nobel peace prize in one nine hundred ninety eight of. the chain of events which led to the collapse of the soviet union and gorbachev departure despite being admired in the west critics say plunged his country into a destructive and chaotic reform the effects of which is still being felt today the former soviet leader argues though that russia was anyway in desperate need of change. speaks no to the former soviet leader about his legacy that interview is coming right up.

to keep. the. well mr gorbachev it's so great to have you with us today good to see you again. mr gorbachev you're turning eighty did you ever think the world will look like this on your eightieth birthday. it's not easy to surprise people like me those who lived to see their eightieth birthday have seen a lot in life is a lot we should thank god for giving us so many years and because it eighty you

already know a lot you've experienced many things i can view life in a primitive way that is a laugh is safer today compared to the late eighty's. if we look at the middle east for example in most countries where people took to the streets demanding the resignation of their leaders these leaders have been in power for twenty or thirty years it is unbelievable mubarak has ruled egypt for twenty nine years for gadhafi we are all confused about the actual date when his rule began so i think we were right when we said there should be a limit otherwise people got tired of the same leaders in addition after ten years or so you get nepotism leaders become too preoccupied to take care of the things that are really important that's why we decided that the maximum term for the general secretary the chairman of the council of ministers and others would be ten years after ten years they had to step down. he often say that what you regret most is that disintegration of the soviet union do you think

that it could exist in two thousand and eleven what it would have been like today had it not integrated. it could exist even longer it should have become a union of sovereign states with the communist regime. being a union of sovereign states means that each sovereign state has the right to make its own choice the conditions we were in required that we practice what the constitution said and the constitutions of the soviet republics said they were states entitle to self-determination that's why we should have made them sovereign states. that. when you started the perestroika could you imagine the scale of the changes to calm. people i think i did not completely but it is dangerous to start a storm in our country. if you lose control you may get into a lot of trouble to show biz reforms basically failed reforms failed we realized from experience that it was dangerous to wait much longer that we had to take

a risk but we couldn't we needed changes. what. you were saying that you didn't quite understand the scale of it all when did you finally get a clear realization that there was no return to the past. i don't agree when people say that perestroika failed it didn't fail it was disrupted derailed stopped but still perestroika achieved a lot inside russia we had democracy free elections freedom of conscience private property freedom to travel abroad everything. there was so much openness the entire country was affected people realized they had finally got some freedom an opportunity to act in foreign affairs we put an end to the cold war we normalized our relationship with the u.s. we reunited germany we didn't send our tanks our troops there all our units in eastern europe stayed where they were. i suppose. so let's talk

about foreign policy twenty five years ago you started the process of disarmament between the soviet union and the united states today president obama and medvedev are making further steps to get rid of nuclear arsenals do you think it will ever come to a world without nuclear weapons. we must do it and i believe that sooner or later we will get there but to get there we have to put the world back in order first nuclear arsenals were significantly reduced thanks to our efforts during perestroika today when the world is so divided we need to find things that bring us together for instance the g. twenty is a step which brings us closer it's an instrument election ism for handling the hardest and most challenging issues but we need more than that it's a matter of learning to live in a global world. some people consider you the number one

politician of the twentieth century. always remember when you were number one there's a great responsibility that comes with that actually though you can't give a single politician credit for everything so there is always a group of people who realize the challenges of their time they understand what is going on. in the world. of too many people you played a major role in many important events the unification of germany the end of the cold war perestroika some people say that you were the one who brought down the soviet union he were awarded the nobel peace prize some say that you were at the last really a liberal of our time what do you think is your most important legacy. i think it is the fact that the world is no longer divided that it is mostly free from ideological antagonism this is perhaps the most important thing this creates conditions for further progress. people abroad love you and respect you

a lot while russian seven different opinions about you what do you make of that fact that you are more appreciated abroad than in russia. i think it's normal after all i worked in russia and the many things started here it wasn't always easy many things did not work out the way we planned at the beginning when we made our first mistakes we didn't really explain to people what was going on and didn't get them involved in all those processes we were self-confident but in public politics i don't think we have ever lost a major battle here eighty the whole world is celebrating your birthday at the end of march in london few people who can say i made this world a better place but you can say that about yourself your children grandchildren great grandchildren what do you lack. there are a few things i didn't have time to do and i regret it. i miss my wife who was my

best friend and i lost her in this fierce battle it's hard you can't forget about things like that sometimes i look at people with a lot of money and they may have many wives many women but we were different we were very close and to be frank with you another thing i wish i had these days is good health well i wish you good health and many more years happy birthday to you and thank you very much. the biggest issues get. face to face with the news makers.

this is the news. and these are all top stories. there are fears the ongoing violence in north africa disastrous campaign other foreign governments said they're against. military force. policy members of congress questioned the u.s. government's ability to back the right. in the middle east. stated america struggles to successfully. in the last leader of the soviet union celebrates his eightieth birthday. the

consolation of state censorship and the promotion of free speech in some accusing of paving the way for destructive reform. thanks for being with r.t. tonight coming up next complete change of subject the history of the car bomb and how it shaped the face of terrorism in the twentieth century. when i had a bombing of a school minor minor people might have amassed. a homemade explosives slipped across the atlantic into the hands of the ira. the world's first full scale car bomb or was now ready to begin. and the material to make the bombs was lying around in every farmer's barn in ireland. shot o'callahan was a senior ira bomb maker at the time.